How Life Brought My Passion

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” –Albert Einstein Einstein must have been very humble to believe he did not have a passion and a talent that was uncommon. Surely the man who was “passionately curious” had some sense of direction. Then again who really does? I’ve pretty much never had any sort of direction in life or a feeling of passion. The question of “What do you want to do in the future?” always made me feel confronted. I felt as if I had to give some sort of satisfactory response to put the questioner at ease as well as my own doubts. No one ever liked the fact that I didn’t know. I could sense their worry and sometimes pity. Oh God, poor child without direction. How was I supposed to really know? Life is complicated and scary; life’s complex. I can’t just find my passion. There’s no sign that is labeled “Passion” in nice clear font. Oh. Let Life Happen I never knew what I wanted to be. I didn’t lose sleep over it nor did I actively seek passion. Then one day I finally had my guiding hand and saw a path. It was while I was helping out one of my clubs to try to get people interested in origami. My philosophy professor emailed all of his students a rather vague and ambiguous email, so I wasn’t sure whether or not class was canceled. Then I saw someone from my class and chased after him. I must have brought a lot of attention to myself because I couldn’t even remember this guy’s name. I literally ran and was talking to myself out loud “What’s his name? Wait. Hey! Hey!” We were discussing the email and came to the conclusion that we should just show up and see because no one we asked could figure it out. Luckily, someone overheard our conversation and asked me what I wanted to be. Wait, luckily? Don’t I hate that question? I did, but today was different. I gave my standard response and she told me that she worked for the school’s transfer center. She was urging me to come in to take an assessment test. I went in after all my classes ended and took the test while not expecting much. The test results gave me insight into my interests and what would excite me. It reaffirmed my belief that I value passion way above monetary gains regardless of whether or not I had my current passion. I went home and did tons of research on the top matches, checking sources, looking at the day-to- day schedule, and of course the requirements and skills needed to be successful. I found Public Relations; finally I’ve found a path. Could this be my eventual passion? The thought of having something like that made me smile. I met with the PR team at my campus and talked to them on a personal basis as well as professionally. Then I asked them what PR is all about. I’ve decided now that I have a sense of guidance I’ve got something to work up towards. No longer did I fear the eventual question at the start of almost every new interaction. I felt confident in my answer, proud even. I felt PR was going to be my passion. It was weird, but I could just feel it; I’ve never felt something like that before. The funny thing is that I didn’t wake up that morning telling myself “Today is going to be the day I find my passion.” Life doesn’t work that way. It’s spontaneous and random. Every minute is a new opportunity and it may surprise and reward you. Sometimes Things Just Add Up It’s amazing how things worked out the way it did; it was as if every second counted. Had the professor not emailed us with such ambiguity I never would have chased the guy down. If I had remembered his name then I never would have dragged so much attention to myself. In fact, I probably would have stopped him sooner before we reached the girl that helped me out. Which of course means I never would have taken that assessment which led me to finding out my passion. Oh, and the best part? I never would have taken up writing because PR has a huge journalism component. I owe Self Stairway to all those seconds adding up just right. I owe it to life’s spontaneity; I owe it to the way life brings things together. Keep Your Eyes Open So every morning when you wake up and are conscious try to be excited. You never know what opportunities may arise even when you’re not looking for it. How do you think anything ever happens? Life’s full of surprises, so keep your eyes open for them. I’d love to hear in the comments below stories of how every second added up just right and how it gave you a beautiful gift when you weren’t even looking for it. I hope this post inspires those of you currently directionless.